Four of the 38 people on board could have been saved, a court spokesman said on Friday. Italy and France ask for support for the North African country.
After a boat accident off the coast of Tunisia, 34 refugees are missing. Four of the 38 people on board could have been saved, a spokesman for the court in the Tunisian port of Sfax said on Friday. So the boat left the coast of the Sfax region on Thursday towards Italy and sank off the coast of Tunisia on Friday. All refugees must come from countries south of the Sahara.
More recently, many people from sub-Saharan countries have tried to leave Tunisia. In a speech last month, the country’s president, Kais Saied, called for action to be taken against illegal immigration from sub-Saharan countries. The speech was met with international outrage.
Tunisia is in some places less than 150 kilometers from the Italian island of Lampedusa – one of the main ports of call for people from Tunisia and other African countries looking for a better life in Europe.
Tunisia is in deep economic crisis
Tunisia is in a deep economic crisis. The country is heavily indebted and is negotiating a €2 billion bailout loan with the International Monetary Fund.
France and Italy urged the country’s support on Friday. “In Tunisia, the very high tensions, the economic and social crisis that is getting worse due to the lack of agreement with the International Monetary Fund are very worrying,” French President Emmanuel Macron said after an EU summit in Brussels.
This leads to a “very big destabilization” of the country and the region and an “increased migratory pressure” in Italy and the EU, Macron said. He called for “joint” action at European level to help Tunisia and allow “emigration control”.
Macron stressed that “it must be possible in the short term to stop the flow of migrants from Tunisia”. He spoke about it with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Meloni confirms plans
“Perhaps not everyone is aware of the risks we face in relation to the situation in Tunisia and the need to support stability in a country facing serious financial problems,” Meloni said on Friday. “If we do not adequately address these issues, there is a risk that there will be an objectively unprecedented wave of migration.”
Meloni also confirmed plans for a mission to Tunisia that would also include the foreign ministers of Italy and France.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday that the situation in Tunisia was “very, very dangerous”. “If the country collapses economically or socially, new flows of migrants will reach Europe. We must avoid this situation.” Tunisia rejects this assessment.
(APA)